My Boy Jack, Sonneteer may return to Oaklawn

My Boy Jack and Sonneteer, who have shipped in to win separate stakes this meet at Oaklawn, could both return for upcoming races, Southern California-based trainer Keith Desormeaux said Tuesday.

My Boy Jack won the Southwest on Feb. 19 and is now under consideration for either the Grade 2, $900,000 Rebel on March 17 at Oaklawn or the Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby on March 24 at Fair Grounds. Desormeaux said his initial thought is that the horse just needs one more prep for the Kentucky Derby, but added that with just 12 points and the chance of tough racing luck or a subpar effort in any given start, he has to be open to other plans.

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“Probably the most practical angle – if we’ve got a fallback plan – would be to come back for the Rebel, run one-two, get the points and have a nice break to come into the [Kentucky] Derby fresh,” Desormeaux said. “Or, maybe run in a race like the Louisiana Derby that gives you a two-week span to come back in the Arkansas Derby or the Blue Grass [if needed], but then you’re going to be running twice in five weeks. We’ll talk about it with the owners. We’re not going to do anything impractical. We’ll just do what’s best for the horse and, as they say, the rest will take care of itself.”

Sonneteer won the Fifth Season in January at Oaklawn, and Desormeaux said the horse is a candidate for the Grade 2, $750,000 Oaklawn Handicap in April.

Transgress points to Sunland Derby

Transgress, a promising 3-year-old who was just edged in an Oaklawn allowance on Monday, is being pointed to the Grade 3, $800,000 Sunland Derby, trainer D. Wayne Lukas said Thursday. The 1 1/8-mile race that carries Kentucky Derby eligibility points will be run March 25.

Transgress dueled through the stretch in the allowance with New York Central, who won by a neck.

“It was a really good race, two very nice horses,” Lukas said. “It’s hard to separate them when they’re that good. So, I think we’re ready to move on to the next step.”

Luis Saez was aboard Transgress and has the mount in the Sunland Derby, Lukas said.

◗ Trainer Danny Pish on Sunday begins a 15-day suspension for a medication violation that runs through March 11, according to a ruling from the Texas Racing Commission. Pish has divisions of his stable in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. The violation dates to a Nov. 11 race at Retama Park that resulted in the disqualification of winner Vincitore. Pish also was fined $500.

◗ Peppers Pride delivered a colt by Triple Crown winner American Pharoah about two weeks ago, trainer Joel Marr said Thursday. Marr trained Peppers Pride, who went 19 for 19 while earning more than $1 million. She is now based in Kentucky.